Seattle weather: Slow warm-up for Fourth of July weekend

If you've been enjoying a bit of a cooldown for the past few days but want some warm sunshine to bask by the water or cook hot dogs for the Fourth of July, you're in luck.

This week's weather brings the best of both worlds.

Thursday will be a "carbon copy" of Tuesday and Wednesday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Dana Felton.

These cloudy days will start with possible drizzle in the morning and see some sunlight break through in the afternoon. But the temperatures will stay in the mid- to high 60s, comfortably cooler than the norm this time of year, which is about 74 degrees, Felton said.

That gives us a milder extension of the cloudy, rainy Juneuary of recent days, so savor the time you aren't sweatily cursing your home's lack of air conditioning.

The cool upper level trough sitting over us will start to "peter out" by Friday and the onshore flow will decrease, bringing the temperature back up to normal, with a high of 73 and sunshine, Felton said.

Saturday and Sunday will look much the same, so lather on that sunscreen and fret not over rainy barbecues and cloud-shrouded fireworks for the Fourth of July.

The chance of rain this week is mostly confined to the higher terrain in the Cascades, according to Steve Reedy, a meteorologist with the weather service. But while people won't have to dive for cover for a sudden downpour, the dry weather means fireworks bring extra risk.

"One thing that's worth keeping an eye on is the potential for embers from fireworks landing in dry grass could potentially trigger brush or roadside fires," Reedy said.

Come Monday, though, the temperature will likely creep up to the high 70s. That's after the colloquial Independence Day benchmark, so maybe then, summer in Seattle will really begin.

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This story was originally published June 30, 2026 at 9:37 AM.